By Eve Fox, The Garden of Eating
Makes 6 servings
8 egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
A pinch of sea salt
1/4 cup maple sugar (for the tops – you can also substitute turbinado or brown sugar if you don't want to go the maple route)
1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and pinch of salt together in a medium bowl until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Add the cream and vanilla and whisk until well-combined.
2. Divide the mixture evenly between 6 ramekins or custard cups (if you're using tiny ramekins you may get more than 6 out of this recipe, and fewer than 6 if you're using big cups). Place the ramekins in a large baking dish, making sure that they do not touch each other or the edges of the dish – I didn't have any single dish that was big enough to hold them all so I used two baking dishes – and then pour an inch or so of water into the dish, being careful not to get any water into the ramekins.
3. Bake until the custard is set around the edges, but still loose in the center (just give the dish a gentle shake with your pot-holdered hand to see if they still jiggle a little bit), between 40-60 minutes.
4. Once the custard is set, remove them from the oven and let them sit out in the water bath until fully cooled. Remove the cups from the water bath and chill, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
5. When you're ready to serve these treats, remove them from the fridge and use a paper towel or kitchen towel to dab any condensation off the tops. Spread a thin coating of maple sugar over each custard – enough to cover it evenly but it should not be thick. Set the oven to broil and put the ramekins on a baking sheet right underneath the broiler. Broil the sugar until caramelized and serve. Be very careful not to burn the sugar – it's all too easy to walk away and forget about them. If you're concerned about keeping the custards cool you can either refrigerate them again after you caramelize the sugar (leave yourself a good 35-40 minutes extra if you want to handle it this way) or you can place them in an ice water bath while you're caramelizing the sugar.
